Pileated Woodpecker Returns

  I suppose I've seen a pileated woodpecker no more than three times since moving here 34 years ago. But I hear friends talk of them being regular visitors to their yards. Our nearest neighbor to the south says she regularly has one visit.

 Maybe we're just not watching closely enough. We certainly have a wooded area adjacent to our yard so I'd think the locale would be perfect. There's no end of downy and red-bellied woodpeckers so why not the pileated?

 A few days ago Tom was in the kitchen getting something to eat when he scared away a pileated who was having a snack on our suet feeder. As they're as large as chicken, it presented quite a sight. But Tom's movement immediately scared the woodpecker away. By the time Tom called me and I got there, the bird was gone.

 Of course I've kept an eye out ... and so has Tom. Again a couple of days ago he was in the kitchen when the pileated landed on the suet and just as quickly took off. Tom called me as before. Too late.

 Later I saw the bird on a tree in the meadow so I grabbed my camera and cranked in some telephoto, It isn't a good picture but it certainly proves the pileated was nearby. And the bird was staying in the area. The bird looks oddly prehistoric to me.

 Yesterday it happened again. Tom was in the kitchen and we watched the bird take off, fly between trees at the north of our yard and also in the meadow. He even returned to the suet feeder but was spooked when I moved to aim my camera  at him. They are as skittish a bird as I've seen.

 So how was I to watch the suet feeder and be alerted to his presence without being there? It hit me that I could use one of our wireless security cameras (a Wyze) to keep an eye on the suet feeder and even alert me to movement.

 I set up the camera, aimed it at the feeder and went into the living room and sat down on the sofa beside Tom. I was getting ready to set up a motion alert when I saw the pileated arrive. I lay the phone down and walked gingerly to the kitchen. I had the camera already lying there and ready to go. I crept to the rear of the kitchen beside the refrigerator.

 He kept looking about but he didn't leave. I began taking pictures ...

 Got him! In fact I probably took a dozen pictures. This was the best. A pileated is in constant movement. They never stay still. Had I more time to set the camera to a faster shutter speed, the shots would have been better. Most are a bit blurry. But at least now I have him recorded.

As the Tulip Poplar ... [quote]

 

Amish Cobblestone Coffee Cake

 

 Oh, it's good! And easy, too.

 First, you can find the recipe here. I'll offer some suggestions to make it even easier.

 I simplified the directions by first combing the "wet" ingredients (melted butter, eggs) and then adding the sugar, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Mix this thoroughly (a large spoon is fine).

 Add the flour last and mix again. The batter is thicker than I'd have expected (quite pasty) but it makes it easier to spread into a pan and then place the cherry pie filling atop. By the way, I skipped the almond extract. It was $3.99 for a small bottle and I didn't figure it was needed (it wasn't).

 By the way, I used a 9x13" metal baking pan. Normally I'd shorten the baking  time when I substitute metal for glass but I found the full 35 minutes just right.

 When you add the  second half of the batter a spoonful at a time, it'll just sit there as "lumps" but they'll melt down as it bakes. Here's how the basic cake looks when it comes out of the oven.

 And here's a wide view just after the icing is drizzled onto the cooling (though not cold) cake.

 A close-up view of a corner of the cake.

 It's quite a nice cake and just as easy as can be. I don't know why it's called a "Coffee Cake" because there's no coffee in the ingredients (I think a true coffee cake should include it). Sure, it's great as a breakfast treat with coffee ... but still.

 We three (Bob, Tom and myself) just had a nice-sized slice as we played our Saturday morning game of cards. Delicious! And far better and fresher than the store-bought pastries.

 Wouldn't this be great with other pie fillings, too? I'd like to try blueberry. But peach would be another great idea.

I Think Our Lives ... [quote]

 

Pecan Loaf

  Mom used to make something similar to this. It was mostly rice and pecans and, like this recipe, was a vegetarian stand-in for meatloaf. This isn't it; but it's close.

 Mom got her original recipe from Kettering Medical Center and I absolutely loved it. If we still have the recipe - and I assume we do - I can't find it. So that led me to an Internet search for something similar.

 Food.com has a "Pecan Loaf" which will work in a pinch. If I remember correctly, this  recipe uses fewer pecans. And I don't think Mom's recipe used oats at all (and probably not a bell pepper). Here is the recipe I used.

 I didn't have "quick" oats but I had a large container of regular ones and I made sure the resultant "paste" was wet enough to cook the oats while the loaf baked. In fact after I cooked the rice I used most of the leftover water in this recipe. I also used more rice than the 1.5 cups that was called for. And I used regular white rice, too.

 The recipe fills a regular loaf pan quite nicely. I greased the pan before spooning in the paste. It does not appear that it would have stuck anyway.

 This meatloaf substitute is certainly delicious. I miss the original recipe, though.

I Want for Nothing ... [quote]

 

COVID Vaccine Taken

  Tom and I have spent nearly the past year by ourselves. We get out some: groceries, eating out infrequently, occasional shopping trips. But for the past year we have stayed mostly here. And when we leave the house, of course we are masked.

 No one wants to live through a pandemic. But that is better than dying during one.

 COVID-19 worries color our life right now. Worldwide 2.3 millions have died and there are 105 million cases of the virus. In the United States  alone, 450,000 of our fellow Americans have died; 26.9 million have been infected. Those are the newest statistics I could find.

 I have been waiting for one of the vaccines to become available to my age group (70+). Last Monday (02/01) Ohio opened up that group to eligibility. But where to get the shot? I have been watching various websites for an appointment. I even managed to get my name onto one list.

 One morning this past week Tom received an  email that CVS in Germantown had some openings. I quickly got on their website. All appointments were already taken. But they suggested their Eaton location as a possibility. I found a slot open and I booked it.

 I asked Tom to come along with me, both in hopes of making it easier to find the drug store and also to drive me home if I didn't feel well. We arrived about a half an hour early.

 Sign-up went easily and I was sent to "Aisle 17" to get into line. The line was short. Only a dozen or so were in front of me. When I reached the front of the line I was asked a few questions and my temperature was taken.

 Finally, seated for my vaccine, my left arm was swabbed with alcohol and the shot administered. It was painless.

 Afterwards I was told to wait 15 minutes before leaving to make sure I didn't have an allergic reaction. I continued to feel fine.

 For the next nine hours I noticed no side effects at all. My arm didn't even feel sore. But after I went to bed, I began to have minor chills and a slight headache and this went on for about two hours. My arm also began to be sore.

 Now, the next morning, I feel a little worse for the wear ... but it is nothing compared to contracting COVID. I will happily endure a little discomfort for being able to avoid the disease. Though I was initially set-up to have the Moderna vaccine, I was given the Pfizer one (that would have been my choice had I been given the option). Why? Because it has been administered longer and the most experience lies there. The 95% effectiveness seems a real plus.

 In three weeks  I'll be back for the second and final dose. I understand that's when the side effects are most noticeable. So we'll cancel Saturday morning breakfast with Bob and I have the luxury of being able to take a day off as needed.

 Ohio, by the way, has recorded 11,571 deaths and shows 915,000 cases of COVID. Montgomery County, where we live, has had 467 deaths and 45,256 cases of the virus. Are the numbers low enough to go without the vaccine? Perhaps, but not taking the vaccine keeps the peril present and does nothing to held achieve "herd immunity".

With a 2019 population of 11.69 million, Ohio residents show 7.8% of the population infected. Some people call the risk low (less than one out of ten) but it's enough to concern me. The vaccine is free and the risk seems relatively low.

 So I am proud to be  among those vaccinated.